Discover the best spots to enjoy on your lunch break
King’s Cross has a great lunchtime scene, with an array of choices so that you can switch it up and enjoy a delicious lunch every day of the week. From sit down meals in one of our wonderful restaurants to grab and go bites that can be enjoyed in the leafy parks and squares dotted around the neighbourhood. Check out the list of spots offering a weekday set menu or a lunchtime meal deal.
Arabica
Arabica serves up truly scrumptious modern eastern Mediterranean food. Plates are designed to be shared and savoured. Indulge in dishes such as hummus and baba ghanoush, combined with grilled meats or halloumi. Choose from the lunch set menu, available 12-3pm Monday to Friday, which includes any three meze with pita and pickles for £20 or any four meze with pita and pickles for £25. There is also an all-day menu on offer.
On a sunny day enjoy your lunch alfresco on Arabica’s terrace, which looks out onto the leafy green expanse of Lewis Cubitt Park. Or navigate inside to a more intimate banquette, perfect for a group or perch at the counter, ideal for dining alone.
BAO King’s Cross
Be transported halfway across the world on your lunch break. Walking into BAO King’s Cross is like stepping into a reimagined take on nostalgic Taiwan. Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and beautiful setting. Choose from tea snacks, rice plates and the delicious handmade fluffy white buns, from which BAO takes its name.
There is a £15 set menu on weekdays, that includes a bao, a side and a rice bowl. You can also add a Taiwanese beer or house wine for a little bit extra. Open for lunch from midday every day except Monday. And why not move your meeting to BAO instead of staying in the office? Hire out their fully-equipped private dining room that can seat between 6-14 people.
Coal Office
During the week, Coal Office is open Thursday and Friday from 12-3pm, with their special worker’s lunch set menu. A meal at Coal Office tends to be a memorable experience, perfectly savoured at the end of a long week. Designed by Tom Dixon and with famed Israeli restaurateur Assaf Granit at the helm, this spot is a must-visit. Sit back and relax in the calming space filled with stainless steel, natural marble and pale tiling, lit by Tom Dixon’s iconic glowing Melt pendants – and be ready for a Middle-Eastern feast for the senses.
The food is fresh, creative and experimental, taking inspiration from flavours, spices and textures of dishes stretching along the Mediterranean. Enjoy three courses including breads, salads and meat for £25. Delicious!
German Gymnasium
Take a seat and soak up your surroundings within this beautiful historic building, full of Victorian period features housed under a grand vaulted ceiling. It is set over two floors with a striking pair of staircases that lead you up to the Meister bar and the more formal dining area. On the ground floor you will find the Grand Café with an open kitchen, a chic bar and curved banquette seating. Plus there is also covered outdoor seating.
From Monday to Friday between 11.30am and 5.30pm tuck into their set menu. Enjoy two courses for £30, or three courses for £35. The menu gives a nod to the building’s German heritage. Sample smoked pork sausages, wheat salad or chicken schnitzel. And end the meal with a warm apple strudel. Yum!
Granary Square Brasserie
From 11.30am every day of the week you can treat yourself to a set menu within the plush, jewel-coloured setting of Granary Square Brasserie. A beautifully designed Grade II-listed space, with an eclectic mix of modern British comfort food and international dishes, this makes for the ideal lunch spot for those days when you want something that little bit special. The lounge area is perfect for lunch or informal meetings, while the pretty terrace outside is a must on a sunny day.
The set menu offers two courses for £17.95 and three courses for £22.95. Choose from classics, such as poached egg and hollandaise or white onion soup to start. Followed by the likes of steak and chips or seafood risotto for your main course. There are also plenty of sides to top up your meal, and don’t miss out on one of the delicious desserts, like strawberry ice cream or lemon posset.
Granger & Co
Serving lunch every day of the week from 12-5pm, there is no need to book. Just swing by and the friendly staff will take care of you. The menu features Australian chef Bill Granger’s healthy-ish dishes with brunch classics, zingy salads, poke bowls and hearty burgers on offer. All set within an easy-going atmosphere.
With large windows overlooking Pancras Square this spot is a real suntrap, adding to the good-time Aussie vibes. Choose a table by the window or grab a counter stool at the central bar. If it’s warm, head to the terrace and savour the day at one of the outside tables.
Hiden
You can’t go wrong with a katsu curry, especially when it is served up by chef Hideaki Yoshiyama, who prepares every batch from scratch, using the freshest ingredients. There are only three dishes on the menu, making it the perfect spot for a quick lunch. Choose from beef, chicken or vegan, all served with sticky rice and an in-house fermented garnish.
Open every day from 11.30am, inspired by the traditional Japanese hole-in-the-wall shops. this bright yellow pop-up is primarily for take-away but there are a handful of seats inside too. It is all beautifully simple, but you will find yourself going back for more, over and over again.
Hoppers
Go on a culinary journey through Sri Lanka and Southern India on your lunch break. Enjoy a hopper, from which the restaurant takes its name – a Sri Lankian breakfast staple of a crispy, bowl-shaped pancake made from rice flour and coconut milk. Or dine out on bar bites, a selection of curry, chutneys and delicious sides all from their express lunch menu. There is also a great offer to be had with their set rice and curry lunch plate, which includes 8 different elements for £19.50.
The decor, with nods to far away places, will transport you, allowing you a quick break in the middle of your day. Savour the relaxed, chatty atmosphere indoors or sit outside amongst the lush foliage reminiscent of a 1960s tiki bar.
Lina Stores
With it’s pretty mint green decor and al fresco terrace, Lina Stores is an aesthetically pleasing lunch option, and the food is equally lovely. The restaurant serves a sumptuous handmade pasta dishes like pappardelle with pecorino and slow cooked lamb shoulder ragu and stracciatella ravioli with pine nuts, plus delicious plant-based options like buckwheat taglioni with vegan truffle butter, and a mouthwatering selection of ice creams and deserts.
If you don’t have time to linger over a long lunch, Lina Stores Deli serves some of the same antipasti and freshly cooked pasta as the restaurant, alongside a daily selection of fresh and fabulous salads. Think sumptuous combinations like roasted broccoli with chilli and sunflower seeds; tuna with green beans, Tropea onion and egg; or Datterini tomato, bocconcini and basil – to stay or to go.
Sons + Daughters
These gourmet sandwiches make for the perfect lunch. Delicious combinations of ingredients laid heavily on white bloomer, granary or focaccia bread propel these sarnies into another culinary realm. They take classics, like an egg salad sandwich, add miso mayo and truffle crisps and create a taste explosion. Add a side and soft drink or beer to make it a meal deal. Top it all off with a soft serve ice-cream for the perfect lunch. Open every day from 10am-6pm.
You’ll find Sons + Daughters on Lower Stable Street at Coal Drops Yard, just off Granary Square. If you are in a hurry head to their GO van that serves sandwiches and coffee to take-away from midday. On the roof of the shop, enjoy the terrace with plenty of seating and great views.